Reflecting on his and city council’s list of accomplishments during their first 100 days since being elected, Mayor Paul Lefebvre said they’ve done more than he’d expected.
“A lot has happened,” Lefebvre told Sudbury.com after delivering a speech highlighting their first 100 days in office. “I'm quite proud with the team, and certainly with council, of what has been accomplished. But there's a lot more work to do.”
Lefebvre’s 20-minute speech highlighted a list of accomplishments, but drilled down into a few pervailing themes, including community safety, service reviews and economic growth.
On community safety, he noted that city council approved a 2023 police budget that includes provisions to add 10 sworn members to their ranks this year and sets the stage to add a total of 24 within three years.
“As our community safety needs have evolved over the last few years, policing priorities have become increasingly complex and time-consuming,” he said. “With a focus on crime prevention and a more diverse police force, I believe we are making a step in the right direction to address our public safety needs.”
The hiring of a second deputy fire chief to represent volunteer firefighters is another step toward community safety, he said. The city has been without a second deputy fire chief for more than a year, and recently decided to fill the vacancy.
During last week’s budget deliberations, the city’s elected officials also added two full-time ambulances to help boost their service levels to meet existing demands.
“These examples demonstrate how, in these first 100 days, council has made the safety of Greater Sudbury residents a top priority,” Lefebvre said. “We will continue this focus in a thoughtful, respectful and fiscally responsible way.”
Various reviews will continue to take place as it relates to community spaces and buildings, Lefebvre said, including parks, playgrounds, pools, arenas and libraries.
“This will allow council to understand how our facilities are being used, what kind of amenities will be required in the coming years and which sites require additional investment, and how we can best achieve this,” he said.
“As most of this community infrastructure is now many decades old, council faces challenging decisions when it comes to allocating our available resources and meeting service level expectations.”
As for spurring economic growth, Lefebvre pointed to his motion directing staff to prepare a housing supply strategy as an important step alongside his meeting with provincial and federal ministers to ensure they invest in the critical mineral sector.
“It is important to make it well known that the citizens of Greater Sudbury are supportive of these new opportunities,” he said. “We continue to support exploration, extraction, and processing but now, we want to be part of the added-value piece of the supply chain.”
Wednesday’s meeting was attended by several elected officials and city administrators. City CAO Ed Archer introduced Lefebvre with a short speech commending the mayor for supporting city staff, which has included connecting with the entire executive team.
For the full text of Lefebvre's speech, click here.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
